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HelmsmanMarina del Rey, CA

The Helmsman statue originally stood in front of the Helms Bakery in Culver City, CA. The Helmsman was the company's symbol. The statue was created by Carl Romanelli around 1950. It is about 10 feet tall and made of cast concrete. The bakery closed in 1969 and in 1971, the statue was donated to the marina. It was installed here in Burton W. Chance Park in 1975. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Little League PlayerSan Bernardino, CA

Gumby and PokeyNorco, CA

Tommy TrojanLos Angeles, CA

The Little League Player statue is about 15 feet tall. It stands near the Western Regionals Little League Baseball Park. The statue has been there since at least 2003. [map]

The Gumby and Pokey statues are installed in the front yard of a residence. They were created by Dave Williams, the owner of the house. The statues are made of metal. Gumby is about 12 1/2 feet tall and was built in 2002. Pokey was built a couple of years later. For more, see this website. [map]

The Tommy Trojan statue is located at the University of Southern California. The life-sized bronze statue was created by Roger Noble Burnham in 1930. It was modeled after several USC football players. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

PunchMorgan Hill, CA

PunchAlameda, CA

unidentifiedcharacterTorrance, CA

Egyptian GodsLos Angeles, CA

The Punch statue in Morgan Hill was located in front of the Morgan Hill Cigar Company & Wine Shop. This photo is from 2014. In 2015, the store moved to a new location. The statue is still displayed outside. This statue is modern and would have originally held a tray like the one in Alameda. The Alameda statue is installed inside the Tobacco Superstore. This character, based on the Punch and Judy puppet character, has been used as the Punch cigar brand's mascot since 1840. The brand is still produced today. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [Morgan Hill map]

This statue of an unidentified character stands in front of a daycare center. Does anyone know who this statue represents? [map]

These 12 foot tall statues of the Egyptian Gods, Queen Tiye and Ramses II, were installed in front of the KRST Unity Center of Afrakan entrance in 2007. The statues were restored in 2015. These photos are from 2017. [map]

Wayne HoldenCardiff, CA

Gold MinerCoarsegold, CA

This bronze statue of Wayne Holden was installed in 1999. Holden died in 1997 at 47 years of age. He was the former President of the Cardiff Town Council. [map]

This Gold Miner is 12 feet tall and was carved from a cedar tree by Miles Tucker. I believe it was carved in the 1990s. The statue was originally installed downtown in front of the Yosemite Gallery and Indian Territory gift shop. The statue is known as "Gabby." It is now located in front of the long-closed Broken Bit Restaurant. [map]

MinerMi-Wuk Village, CA

Miner & Burro [gone]Cabazon, CA

The Miner in Mi-Wuk Village stands next to Diamond Jim's restaurant. The wood-carved statue has been there since at least 2006. [map]

This Miner & Burro statue in Cabazon was installed in front of the Wheel Inn restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1958 and was originally owned by Claude Bell. It closed in 2016 and was demolished. I assume this statue is gone. This statue and the giant dinosaur statues located directly behind the restaurant were created by Bell. The Miner statue was based on Seldom Seen Slim, a miner who lived in Death Valley and a friend of Bell. He built a very similar statue for Knott's Berry Farm which is gone now. This statue was originally located in front of Bell's studio and was later moved to the Wheel Inn. For more, see this website.

Calico Ghost TownYermo, CA

These Calico Ghost Town miner statues were created by Claude Bell in the 1950s. He made similar statues for Knott's Berry Farm. It is not known if these statues were built for Calico or if they were moved here from Knott's. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Toy SoldiersStockton, CA

Storyland Inn [gone]Fresno, CA

Bad Bud'sFresno, CA

These Toy Soliders were designed by Ad-Art and installed at the Magic Village toy store in San Jose around 1974. They are about 25 feet tall. The toy store closed around 1981. The Soldiers were moved back to Ad-Art in Stockton and faced Highway 99. In 2001, they were donated to the Children's Museum of Stockton. The fiberglass statues were restored and installed outside the museum in 2002. The red statue originally held a rifle on his shoulder. The horn-blowing blue soldier has been given a dark skin tone. The yellow statue at the back of the building in the weeds originally held the drum. For more, see this website. [map]

The Storyland Inn was built in 1942 but probably went by a different name originally. It was most likely given the name after the Rotary Storyland & Playland opened in 1962. The amusement park is about one mile away. These toy soldier statues are probably from the 1960s as well. There was at least one other soldier further back on the motel property. I believe there were four statues altogether. The motel had been closed and surrounded with chain link fencing since 2009. I believe it was demolished in 2016. Two of the statues were donated to Storyland Park where they will be displayed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

These Bad Bud's gas station and car wash statues appear to be made of concrete or plaster. They look like they could be the work of Claude Bell or styled after his statues. [map]

David of SassoonFresno, CA

David of Sassoon & John F. KennedyFresno, CA

David of Sassoon is an Armenian folk hero. The first sculpture of him shown above was created by Varaz Samuelian. The 18 foot tall copper sculpture was installed in Courthouse Park in 1971. [map]

The second sculpture of him shown above is located in a backyard of Samuelian's first studio. This was the concrete model for the copper sculpture. David's right hand and sword are now missing. The model was built around 1967. It is accompanied by Samuelian's concrete model of John F. Kennedy. I don't know if a more formal statue of Kennedy was produced. For more, see this website. [map]

PirateSan Pedro, CA

This Pirate statue is installed at San Pedro High School next to the football field. The statue is 21 feet tall. It is believed to have been built in the early 1960s. It had been located in several places in town over the years. It was moved to the high school in 2003. The pirate is the school's mascot. The statue was restored in 2012 by Janice Olivieri as a Girl Scout Gold Award project. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

PirateDillon Beach, CA

This Pirate statue appears to be bronze. I can't find any information about it. [map]

Pirate & MermaidOceanside, CA

Caveman & CavewomanSanta Cruz, CA

GuardKernville, CA

This Pirate and Mermaid statues are installed next to the Rodeway Inn. Does anyone know how long they have been here or what business they were associated with originally? [map]

The Caveman and Cavewoman photo-op statues are located on the Boardwalk. There are also a Caveman and Cavewoman statues on the Sky Ride and Cave Train Ride. The Cave Train Ride was built in 1961. I don't know how old these statues are. They appear to be recent additions to me. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

This Guard is located at Kernville Mini Storage. The statue has been there since at least 2012. There are other Guard statues at storage facilities in Washington but they are a different design. [map]

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Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com.